Illinois Climate Pollution Reduction Grants: Small Utility Clean Energy Planning Grant Program - Third Round

Who can apply

Applicant Eligibility: Municipal and cooperative electric utilities in Illinois are eligible to apply. Applicants included in the SAM.gov Exclusion List and Illinois Stop Payment List will not be eligible for an award. Other entities identified as a “utility” under the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), including a municipal power agency, municipality, or electric cooperative such as a generation and transmission electric cooperative that provides wholesale electricity to one or more distribution electric cooperatives, may apply on behalf of one or more eligible municipal or cooperative electric utilities, provided that the applicant demonstrates authority to conduct power planning, procurement, or integrated resource planning activities on behalf of its member utilities. Beneficiary Eligibility: The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program in Illinois supports initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions across five key sectors. For the Small Utility Clean Energy Planning Grant, beneficiaries include municipal and cooperative utilities that receive financial and technical support to transition to renewable energy. Indirect beneficiaries include the communities these utilities serve, who will benefit from cleaner energy sources, improved air quality, and enhanced energy resilience. Credentials Documentation: To submit an application, the applicant must register and pre-qualify through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov/portal. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. Selected applicants must also register with the federal SAM.gov and must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assigned in SAM.gov. Applicants included in the SAM.gov Exclusion List and in the Illinois Stop Payment List will not be eligible for an award. The Grantee Portal alerts the entity of “qualified” status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., missing UEI Unique Entity Identifier assigned in SAM.gov, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). Inclusion on the SAM.gov Exclusion List cannot be remediated.